Freeport Business to be Demolished Wednesday

FREEPORT -- A major eyesore in Freeport is coming down. The IOCO gas station and property, which city officials call a long-standing symbol of blight in the city's main corridor, will be demolished on Wednesday.

The demolition of the facility on 916 S. Galena St. comes after nearly a year of negotiations and removal of asbestos from the facility, It's part of an aggressive effort by Mayor Jim Gitz to tear down unsafe and unusable abandoned buildings with a focus on more visible properties along highway corridors leading into and out of the city.

City officials say the old IOCO gas station was also chosen because it is in a particularly bad state of disrepair, lacking even a roof. They have been negotiating with the owner of the property, and agreed to split the demolition costs. It will begin Wednesday at 9am.

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